


Telepathic Tease

by molossiamerica (afjakwrites)



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: M/M, alfred is a mindreader, arthur drools over alfred internally, arthur is sarcastic even in his head
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2019-05-24 20:45:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14961873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afjakwrites/pseuds/molossiamerica
Summary: Alfred is thoroughly entertained by a sarcastic Englishman’s inner commentary thanks to his mind reading abilities.





	Telepathic Tease

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted to my writing blog, @afjakwrites on tumblr back in 2017.

_Christ. How loud can one child scream?_

The thought enters Alfred’s head in a smooth, unfamiliar, and thickly accented voice. Grinning, he glances around the crowded restaurant, searching for the person whose mind had been connected to his especially well. Usually, the thoughts of others were muffled, requiring Alfred’s explicit attention before he was able to access their thoughts. Occasionally, however, there came a person whose mind was extremely compatible with Alfred’s; in these cases, their minds could sync up within seconds of being in close proximity. This person, whoever they were, was even more compatible with Alfred than most, their thoughts almost completely drowning out everyone else’s.

 _Is it worth it to leave?_ The voice asks no one.

Alfred’s bright blue eyes flit across the room and, after a moment, hone in on a man seated in the corner, half-obscured by the woman seated at the table in front of him. He’s blond, with shaggy hair nearly as pale as his skin and green eyes that shine with the promise of wit. Alfred focuses, shoving the other voices swarming in his mind out with a well-practiced mental push. In an instant, the muddled thoughts of the restaurant patrons are silenced, isolating the man’s thoughts in Alfred’s mind.

_No, this is the only place within city limits whose tea isn’t absolute rubbish._

Alfred turned his head and tried not to stare at the man as he began to rummage around in a worn messenger bag, hands pale and thin. After a moment, the man adopted a scowl and turned away from the bag.

_And I’ve forgotten my laptop, too. People watching it is._

Alfred was broken from the other’s thoughts as his waiter approached and began to order enthusiastically. After the man left, he tuned back in on the Brit’s thoughts.

The man had focused in on the couple sitting at the table in front of him. _What an arse,_ he was thinking, and Alfred frowned in confusion. Then, the man’s thoughts were helpful enough to clarify for Alfred— _cheating on his girlfriend and bragging about it. Shameful._ Alfred nodded in silent agreement. _You suspect she’s doing the same, do you? Two wrongs don’t make a right, dick. Take your parents for example._

Alfred choked on the water he’d been drinking at that, unable to contain laughter. A few patrons looked over, and Alfred offered an apologetic smile in return for his disruption.

The man was still focused in on the men in front of him. _Ah, now here’s a gentleman! Calling the woman ugly, too. Perhaps her face is a mirror?_

Alfred grinned, beginning to grow rather fond of the man he was listening to. It had been a long time since he’d been this entertained by the thoughts of a stranger; usually it was most entertaining to read minds when those he listened to were talking to him or near him. After all, Alfred did like to hear what people thought of him, even if it occasionally ended with hurt feelings on his end.

_How anyone could cheat is beyond me. Of course, I also have a functioning brain. I’m certain he’s only got one part of his body functioning properly. Christ, I can’t listen to this anymore._

With this thought, the man’s mind began to work much faster and with much more disorganization, as it usually did when a person was settling on a topic. Of course, no one could only think of one thing at a time; there was always more than one train of thought running at all times. But, Alfred could focus on whichever one he wanted and single it out, or listen to both at once—when he concentrated especially well, he could even focus on more than one person’s thoughts at a time.

 _Ah, yes. A two dollar tip on a dinner for six people. How generous._ The man thought, and Alfred glanced around to find the table he was referring to. But, of course, the second he’d finally found them, the man’s mind began to whir and eventually settled on someone new.

_Such beautiful blue eyes._

Alfred raised a brow at the thought. This was interesting. The man he'd tuned in on was admiring someone else in the restaurant. Alfred turned his head and surveyed the patrons in the man’s line of sight, quick to single out a young woman. She was a few feet away from the Brit, nibbling at a sandwich and scrolling through her phone, and, from the looks of it, she had very pretty blue eyes. No wonder the Brit was staring at her; Alfred was half-compelled to tune into her thoughts instead.

 _I’ve never seen such captivating eyes,_ the man thought, _and with such a lovely face…_

Alfred smiled to himself, unable to help from feeling a bit of warmth spread throughout him at the romantic words. Although they weren’t directed at him, he still found himself affected by them. It was these sweet, innocent thoughts that made the American feel happy to have his power; there were some very ugly thoughts in this world, and it was nice to hear someone simply admiring another for a change.

_What a sweet smile he has._

Alfred jolted, eyes widening in surprise at the words. _He?_ Well, that changed a lot. Alfred didn’t care that the man whom he was listening to was attracted to a man; rather, he was more concerned with figuring out who it was the man was thinking of. It couldn’t be the person with the sandwich; even if Alfred had accidentally assumed their gender wrongly, they weren’t smiling at all. He glanced around again, this time fixing on a man eating with another man. He certainly matched the description; he had sweet blue eyes and a wide smile as he laughed with the other person in the booth. Satisfied that Alfred had found the true object of the Brit’s affections, he focused once more on the Brit’s thoughts.

_I wonder why he’s alone._

Alfred resisted the urge to throw his hands in the air and, slightly exasperated, located the only person left in the restaurant who matched said description. Mentally patting himself on the back for his amazing detective work, Alfred listened to the man marvel over the other for a moment.

_Soft-looking hair, too. What might it feel like to run my hands through? And what a darling color, too. Golden like the sun itself. How vibrant a man he seems to be._

Alfred frowned. The person he’d focused in on clearly had brown hair. Now extremely curious, he decided to do the most obvious thing; he’d simply see who the man was looking at. He turned a bit and glanced at the Brit he’d focused in on, surprised to meet his eyes immediately.

 _Fuck!_ The voice in his head cried as the man abruptly turned away, his face a lovely red color. _Way to go, Arthur. He probably felt your eyes burning a hole through him!_

Alfred’s mind, meanwhile, had drawn a blank for a moment. The man—Arthur, as he called himself—had been looking at him the entire time? Alfred felt his own face flush, heat flooding his system from head to toe at the thought of the Brit’s words. Someone thought he was beautiful. Someone who, based on the few brief glances Alfred had taken, was much more attractive than himself, with sweet green eyes and cute eyebrows and the prettiest freckles on his pale face…

_Ah, at least he’s blushing too… How endearing. Such lovely lips, too, sweet and plush. He looks like he was pulled straight from a magazine…_

Alfred willed the red tint from his cheeks and bit nervously at his lip, the mention of them drawing his attention to the area. After a moment, he took a deep breath and stood, gulping. He fixed his eyes on Arthur and began to walk in his direction, wearing his best grin.

 _God, tall and muscular, too! Is he a fucking God?!_ The man thought, and Alfred began to laugh a bit as he continued to walk toward him.

_Is he coming this way…? He’s looking at me. Christ, he’s definitely heading toward me. Oh, no. He probably wants to know why I was staring at him. Fuck. Fuck._

Alfred smiled, stopping in front of the man’s table. “Hey,” he said, “I, um… I saw you looking at me—”

Arthur cleared his throat and spoke in a surprisingly smooth tone for someone whose thoughts were so panicked. “Ah, yes, I was just—”

Alfred cut in, saving the man from what he knew would be a half-assed and random excuse. “—And I was wondering if you wanted some company, ‘cause I really do.” Alfred said.

The man’s shoulders slumped, eyes a bit wide. “Oh,” he said with a gulp, “yes. I-I suppose.” He answered, his voice curt at best. If it weren’t for his thoughts crying _Holy shit! Yes! Yes!_ , Alfred would have walked away completely, put off by his abrasiveness.

“Cool. Let me just get my stuff,” Alfred said, and smiled happily at him before turning on his heel and walking back toward his table.

 _God, and a fantastic arse too. Could this day get any better?_ The man mused, making Alfred stifle a laugh as he took his plate off the table and moved back toward Arthur’s. _Please tell me I have a chance…_

Alfred went back to the table and plopped down, setting his plate upon the table. “I’m bisexual.” Alfred stated.

The man blinked. “Pardon?” He asked, and Alfred could hear very clearly the way his mind reeled at his simple words, struck by both joy and confusion.

“I’m bisexual. And I think you’re hot.” Alfred repeated. “And you definitely have a chance with me.”

Arthur stared for a moment before a wicked grin suddenly overtook his face. “I knew there was a mind reader in here somewhere,” Arthur chuckled. “I’m a sorcerer, though you wouldn’t have noticed.”

Now it was Alfred’s turn to stare in surprise. “You could sense me?”

“Yes. I cast a spell on myself so that I may always sense when there’s a supernatural within around two hundred feet of me, and it also tells me what kind of power that person possesses.”

Alfred beamed. “Woah! That’s sick!” He said with a laugh. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Arthur. I think you’re really funny.” He said brightly.

The man turned a bit red. “And I suppose you listened to me the entire time I drooled over you?”

“Mhm, and I look forward to much more.” The younger grinned rakishly.

_Christ. He looks devilishly handsome like that._

“Thanks, Arthur,” Alfred purred, and laughed when the man began to sputter indignantly.

Alfred could already tell that time spent with Arthur was going to be very entertaining.


End file.
